"Chicago Blackhawks"
Hockey - Chicago Blackhawks Tip by TRimer

Chicago has two hockey teams - the Blackhawks and the Wolves- but only the Hawks play at the United Center.

The team was named the Black Hawks until 1986. The original owner, Major McLaughlin, chose the name Blackhawks for his team. There are a couple of different stories about why he chose that name. The first one says that during World War I, McLaughlin had served as commander of the 333rd Machine-Gun Battalion of the 85th (Blackhawk) division of the U.S. Army. The division's nickname commemorated Black Hawk, a prominent Indian of the early 1800's, so McLaughlin chose the Blackhawks for the team's name in honor of his military unit. The second story says that the Major had a restaurant in Chicago called The Blackhawk and he named the team the Blackhawks to get a little free advertising for his restaurant. There's probably a little truth to both stories.

After McLaughlin named the team, his wife Irene Castle - a world renowned ballroom dancer who had teamed with her husband Vernon before he had died - designed the unique Black, Red,and White striped uniforms with the head of Chief Blackhawk on the logo. The Blackhawk Indian head logo has been called by many as the best logo in the history of professional sports.

Pete Muldoon was the first coach of the Chicago Blackhawks. He was also one of the most interesting men in the organization's history. Muldoon led the Hawks to a respectable third-place finish in that first year. The team's owner, Major McLaughlin thought that the team should have been able to do better and he fired Muldoon. Supposedly, Muldoon told the Major, "Fire me, Major, and you'll never finish first! I'll put a curse on this team that will hoodoo it till the end of time!" It looked as if there actually was a curse on the Blackhawks until, in 1967, they finally finished the season in first place.

Equipment: Single game tickets can be purchased at the United Center box office, by calling Ticketmaster at 312-559-1212, or through Ticketmaster.com.

Students can present their current high school or college photo ID at the United Center Box Office within three hours of game time and receive one $15 seat for only $8.

Address:1901 W. Madison StreetDirections:The United Center is located one mile west of Chicago's Loop and I-90/94 Kennedy Expressway, and four blocks north of I-290 (Eisenhower Expy.) at Damen Ave. (Exit 28A).Phone:(312) 455-4500Theme:Sports WatchingWebsite:http://www.chicagoblackhawks.com/